Positive changes happen only beyond the comfort zone

Yes its true!!!!Be it civil engineering or any other branch of science, stepping away from comfort zone is a very essential and crucial part since it can take you to victory very soon.Now here is an article which says about it......It was published in the famous news daily "THE HINDU" dt 5-3-08
Human beings have an extraordinary ability to adapt. Every change in our surroundings and our environment is a cue that sets our adaptive mechanism in motion and permits us to cope with new and changing circumstances.

But despite being extremely adaptive, we are always hoping for the stability of the status quo in our daily lives. We like the regularity of routine and the inevitability of monotony.

We feel vindicated when we can make dependable predictions and dictate rules regarding acceptable behavior.

Our comfort zone provides us with a degree of security and we are happy to let it at that.

However, extraordinary results are not obtained by staying within your comfort zone.

When you are happy with the status quo, you are not changing with the external changes that are taking place.You are not making progress; you may have momentum, but you are not moving forward.

Your comfort zone can trap you in a prison of sorts, keeping you away from fresh challenges, experiences, and people.

If you really want to get out of your comfort trap, and on to the vanguard of change, it is time to start pushing your boundaries and breaking the rules.

Examine consequences

Staying in your comfort zone can have both good and bad associations. For example, your comfort zone can be a great antidote for stress and burnout.

If you have been driving yourself hard for a long time, stepping back into your comfort zone can offer a temporary respite and help you refuel for your next run.

If you have already achieved your life’s dreams, stepping into your comfort zone is a great way to bask in the glory of your past achievements.

But if you still have your whole life and its aspirations ahead of you, your comfort zone can trap you in a mirage of satisfaction.

Need to get out

It can be difficult to let go of that warm, satisfied feeling that being in your comfort zone can give you.

It is like coaxing a child to leave behind his favorite teddy when he goes to school. But it is necessary for the child to abandon his old comfort zones in quest of newer milestones.

Recognise how being in your comfort zone is stopping you from growing and moving forward.

The recognition that your comfort zone is limiting you is the first big step towards breaking out of it.

Set new goals

What are your goals, and how is being in your comfort zone stopping you from achieving those goals?

Goals typically need to challenge you, draw out your best and bring you out of your comfort zone. If they can be achieved easily, you need to scale them up and raise the bar higher, so that you can test the upper limits of your potential.

Get your cheese

Believe it or not, successful people are more prone to failures than those who are less successful.

This is because they take more risks, try new things and never give up till they get what they strive for.

In his book ‘Who moved my cheese?’ Dr. Spencer Johnson tells a wonderful story around two little people named ‘Hem’ and ‘Haw’ who have lost their precious hoard of cheese and are stuck in a maze with no food and no prospects.

To find new cheese, they have to venture out and explore new uncharted paths in the maze. The fear of the unknown prevents Hem from leaving the comfort of the old cheese station even if he is starving, while Haw lets go of his fear and succeeds in finding new cheese and a whole lot of confidence after a few failed attempts.

Dump the fears, prejudices and old habits that keep you stuck to your comfort zone.Be more open to change. Remember that almost all positive changes happen beyond the familiarity of the comfort zone.

Pain of change

The moment people start experiencing the anxiety, the discomfort and the awkwardness of letting go, they pull back into the comfort zone.

If you want to improve your life or change it for the better, you must steel yourself to put up with the pain of change.

People who get out of their comfort zones derive greater success and satisfaction from life. They may not get immediate results, but they force themselves to go beyond the point of no return.

And when that happens, they realise that there is a new horizon beyond and greater challenges and experiences ahead.

BINDU SRIDHAR